Yes, to some of these crazy Taliban types and suicide bombers, maybe killing as many people as possible is a sign of purification... But for the Hare Krishna followers "ahimsa" or non-violence is definitely considered to be a sign of advancement or purification, and that would include non-violence to all human beings as well as animals!
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Mardukin wrote: "Soon my dealings and relationships become cold and I begain to see the world in a way that created a very sheltered and dull existance, one that I could 'manage'." This seems to be a common scenario with people who adopt this meditation / religious process. I can certainly attest that I was also like this when first interested in the religion. There a
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Mike Gabbard is indeed a disciple of Jagat Guru and he was heavily engaged in the political scene on the island of Oahu (Honolulu). He ran for some political post last year but lost the election. It was quite a controversial election becuase of the homosexuality debate, as far as I can gather. He is originally from Samoa, I think.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Quotebonnie Everyone was always looking for a new way to make a buck. Most of the families built or purchased better and better homes over the years that I knew them. . Hi Bonnie this is certainly not in keeping with what is written in their scriptures, where I remember reading that the holy men would sleep under a different tree each night so as not to get attached to making a home in t
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Cuz You're wondering how can people tolerate such behavior as this - and the answer is that in the Vedic tradition the guru is the link to God and by pleasing the guru, you are pleasing to God, etc etc. Mr. Butler has given many lectures on many topics, and especially on how the person's material body is not the self and this world is not our true home, etc, etc, and I suppose t
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Cuz Yes, you are right about Europe - especially in Eastern Europe the Hare Krishna is quite popular there now. I sometimes think that Eastern Europe is about 50 years behind the West, and as in the 1960s many young people were turning to meditation and eastern religion ... well it's just hitting the Eastern bloc now! As for India - well this has been the main religion there for thou
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Mark You're right - some of their statements about karma get a bit bizarre ... :? the latest one I heard was that the Tsunami in Indonesia last year was becuase they were killing cows in that country... but surely this should have happened in Chicago as here are the biggest stockyards in the world and I'll wager that for every cow in Indonesia there are 1000 cows in Chicago
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Cuz I was involved with the group for a long time and here are some things to look out for: CAREER: The devotees do not like to associate with the "karmis" (regular people) and therefore usually end up giving up their career. However, Chris Butler does like his disciples to make money (for Krishna) and a lot of them are involved in their own businesses, so a lot of them end u
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Oh yea... suffering. Diseases! Old age!! Death!!! Earthquakes!!!! War!!!!! As you are aware, the Hare Kirshna view of this is that the suffering is meant to be a learning experience, or as Chris Butler said in one of his lectures one time - it's like when you put your hand into the fire - the pain is to tell you to take your hand out. Similarly, the suffering in this world is supposedly
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hey Bob, You're right that they always have an answer to try and explain things like that away... Just like when something bad happens to somebody, the usual retort is "It's their karma." However, even though part of me still believes in the "As you sow, so shall ye reap" philosophy, I still have a very hard time understanding, for example, what all those pe
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hey Bob, Here is one awful experience I had with such a "devotee" - Here is a person who spends 6 hours a day religiously chanting the "names of God" and has done so for many years. Yet, the strange thing was that all the nasty qualities that this chanting was supposed to "cure" seemed to be having the exact opposite effect. In other words, this person was d
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

One thing I remember and always thought was quite odd was this incident: When they started the school in Honolulu one of the young boys wanted to get a skate board or roller blades (I forget which as this was maybe 20 years ago). The young student sent a letter to guru mentioning this... Guru says no, no, no - student is not allowed to have skate board. BUT at the same time guru owned one or
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

While on this subject of "toenail eating" I should also mention that I do remember reading in their scriputural books that the stool of a pure devotee of God smells like roses... One can only imagine what kind of crazy behavior this could lead to... Also other "absolute truth" printed within their scriptural books: the sun is closer to the earth than the moon, and that a w
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I was a member of this group many years ago, and at that time there was no such thing as eating toenails - at that time it was just a meditation process for knowing God by chanting the names of God. I am quite amazed at this toenail phenomenon - this certainly sounds a bit crazy. But, looking back, there was certainly also a bit of craziness involved around worshiping a guru as "the one an
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Quoteom shanti shanti shantiBiharilal was a disciple with Chris for a long time. He did run DTE at one time. You are write that he was in car accident and it shook him up, his wife also left him which also shook him. . I note with interest that you said "his wife left him." It seems as though the divorce/separation rate among this group is very, very high. I have also heard that
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

"Why would they be practically rabid about a non member child getting out of their control...." It seems as if some of them have got recruiting fever, and if you can be a successful recruiter you automatically move up the ranks and achieve a higher status within the group (???). There is a definite hierarchy within the group and spiritual advancement means the ability to convert peo
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

That's shocking news about Biharilal. I knew him briefly - he was a nice and mellow guy, like you said. The question that arises here is where is the "higher taste" that is supposed to develop in people who have been chanting the name of God? This higher taste is supposed to bring to the devotee a transcendental bliss that overshadows all material pleasures, yet I don't rea
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I remember the monetary fines for minor infractions. I always thought that was a bit weird. It reminded me of Bob Dylan's song "Maggie's Farm" - "she fines you every time you slam the door - I ain't going to work on Maggie's Farm no more!"
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The Seventh Day adventists also tend to focus on the "Revelations" book of the Bible and they are really into the prophecies and how we are approaching the last days, etc. etc. This may seem harmless enough but it is getting into "David Koresh" territory, what?
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Just don't listen to their spiel about the Catholics. I was given a little booklet by one 7th Day Adventist entitled "The Secret Terrorists" - In this book they claim that the Catholics are at the root of everything that is evil in this world, and even claim that it was the Catholics who sunk the Titanic, and get this one - that it was the Catholics behind the World Trade Centre d
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

It seems as though this group considers homosexuality to be a more serious sin than killing cows.... or maybe it's because condemning meat-eating and threatening to shut down slaughter-houses will not sit well with the majority of voters? Some members of ISCON considered the group to be not bona fide as their swamis dropped their swami titles and got married, (even Chris got married and c
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"